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This Upscale Italian Restaurant in a Prison Books Up Months Ahead, and It's Open to the Public

May 20, 2016, 3:31 PM ET

This Upscale Italian Restaurant in a Prison Books Up Months Ahead, and It's Open to the Public

We'd like to be "guests" at this fabulous-sounding restaurant too. But only for a couple of hours, please.

By
The Feast Staff

Italian chefs are known for their ability to pull off the most incredibly vibrant, fresh-tasting food in virtually any setting, from a crowded train-station cafeteria to a roadside diner. And now, talented Italian cooks have outdone themselves with the latest much-better-than-it-has-to-be restaurant, InGalera, set inside a medium-security prison. The name actually means "in prison," and the place, near Milan, is booking up two months in advance, as Travel + Leisure reports. The restaurant, which opened in October, has a special mission: to train inmates in restaurant and catering skills.

"InGalera is the first and only Italian restaurant located inside a jail and open to the public for both lunch and dinner," according to its website. "Our employees are the prison’s guests, assisted by a professional chef and maître d’hôtel. Here, they are given the chance to learn and practice the art of cooking and serving refined food."

By the way, "guests" is such a nicer word than "inmates," isn't it? Get yourself on the waiting list before your next trip to Italy, and maybe you can be a guest at InGalera too. Just hopefully not that kind of guest.

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